Nawab Rasheed-ud-din Khan Shams-ul-Umra III and Salar Jung I functioned as the Regent. Shams-ul-Umra III died on 12 December 1881 and Salar Jung I became the sole regent. He was retained as administrator and regent until his death on 8 February 1883.[3] Special attention was paid to the education of Mahbub Ali Khan who was tutored by the English. With the concurrence of Salar Jung, Capt. John Clerk was appointed to tutor him and scholars well versed in Persian, Arabic and Urdu were also engaged as tutors. The personality and noble life of Sir Salar Jung had a great influence on Asaf Jah VI.

Asaf Jah VI was a respected ruler and was popularly known as Mahbub Ali Pasha. Dr. Abdul Husain, later given the title Arastu Yar Jung, was physician to Mahbub Ali Khan. As such, Asaf Jah VI often sought counsel for matters concerning the Bubonic plague epidemic that worried Hyderabad, and other matters as well.

The young Nizam with his two regents and other noblemen

The Nizam riding an elephant in a procession from Moula Ali, circa. 1895

The Great Famine of 1876-1878 occurred during his reign. The entire Deccan, including Hyderabad State, was devastated by food shortages which were enormously exacerbated by British policies. The Nizam distributed aid to famine victims, causing tens of thousands of people to flee to Hyderabad from Sholapur and other affected areas.[4]

After independence, it was integrated into Indian Railways. The introduction of railways also marked the beginning of industry in Hyderabad, and four factories were built to the south and east of the Hussain Sagar lake.

The Nizam was well known for his extravagant lifestyle and collection of clothes and cars. His collection of clothes was one of the most extensive in the world at the time. He devoted a whole wing of his palace to his wardrobe and would never wear the same outfit twice. He bought the Jacob Diamond, which stands out among the Jewels of The Nizams now owned by the Government of India.

The Nizam was also fluent in Urdu, Telugu and Farsi languages. He also wrote poems in Telugu and Urdu, some of which are inscribed alongside the walls of Tank Bund. He was a keen hunter, killing at least 30 tigers.[9]

It was supposed that he possessed a healing power against snake bites. It was his order that if anyone from the public had a snake bite, they could approach him. As a result he was awakened from his sleep a number of times.[10][11]